That came after IBM's earnings blew past forecastsearlier in the week and Big Blue projected that earnings would rise more than expected in 2009.

Techs have been beaten down lately and some pros say that's the place to look right now.

"If you didn’t nibble at the basic materials and the oils and some of the really, really good cyclicals back in November, ... you missed your dirt-cheap opportunity," said Michael Cohn, , chief investment strategist at Atlantis Asset Management. "Tech is the place to look," he said. "The IBM news was actually incredible."

But it wasn't all fun and electronic games in tech land.

Samsung Electronics posted its first-ever quarterly loss, joining the ranks of Microsoft, Nokia and Sony , that have disappointed investors with results.

American Express was the biggest decliner on the Dow after Citigroup slapped the credit-card maker with a "sell" rating, citing the slowdown in consumer spending.

Fox-Pitt, Kelton noted that Capital One's terrible fourth quarter indicated things got worse for credit-card companies in December and that AmEx in particular might have to cut its dividend or raise more capital.

Capital One shares tumbled more than 10 percent after three analysts cut their price target on the stock. S&P cut its credit outlook on the company to negative and said a further downgrade is likely. On Thursday, Capital One missed earnings expectations and forecast more credit losses in 2009 as credit-card spending fell 10 percent.

"Deteriorating credit [at Capital One] may erode all profits over the next 12-18 months," Richard Shane, an analyst at Jefferies & Co, wrote in a research note to clients. "The uncertainty surrounding the depth and duration of the labor downturn will continue to weigh on the shares."

Citigroup also put a "sell" rating on MasterCard but put Visa on its "buy" list.

General Electric, the parent of CNBC.com, saw its stock open lower as investors dug into its earnings. The results met expectations but concerns about its dividend and triple-A rating lingered in the market.

Harley-Davidson shares were getting pounded after the motorcycle maker said it would lay off 1,100 workers and close plants as a global consumer slowdown battered its business and sent earnings below Wall Street estimates.

Bank of America shares skidded as a growing chorus began to call for CEO Ken Lewis's resignation, too. On Thursday, former Merrill CEO John Thain agreed to resign from the joint company.

Citigroup shares rebounded, though remained just above $3 a share, while JPMorgan Chase slipped.

Wyeth shares jumped as drug giant Pfizercould be set to buy the company, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Elsewhere, Xerox shares fell more than 10 percent after the office-equipment maker's earnings of 30 cents a share missed expectations.

Schlumberger skidded after the oil giant's fourth-quarter earnings fell 17 percent and the company predicted tough times ahead.